Monday 16 January 2012
Thursday 12 January 2012
Night out at a drag show
Myself, and my two friends Chris and Alfredo went out for a night out. We found a place which had a drag show. It was so funny even if it was all in Spanish. I got spotted and got a lot of gip but all in good fun. I did go red though! But was very funny. And they asked my name and for the rest of the night in that club and also a second club people shouted Sarlita at me! It was very strange people knowing my name and saying hi. But it was so much fun. We carried onto another gay club. The scene here is nice and relaxed so we could just have fun dancing like lunatics all night.
Monday 9 January 2012
A lovely day for a spot of rowing
My friend took me to Tigre the other day to go rowing. His dad is part of the Buenos Aires rowing club which is an old rowing club similar to those in Henley. It even has a lot of pictures on the wall of Henley and Windsor so it made me feel at home. The rowing clubs were initially built by the Brits when we were first here and the tradition has stayed. The building is beautiful and I definitely felt at home. We then went rowing on the river. Tigre is a delta so it has so many little rivers and islands that you can explore. Now-a-days its a popular spot for portenos to come for the weekend or people to stay in the little hotels on the islands. We went rowing with Alfredo my friend his dad and little brother. It was so cool and nice to be out on the water on such a hot day (38 degrees) and then just jump in the river for a swim.
Thursday 5 January 2012
Christmas in the North
I was so lucky at Christmas because my old Spanish tutor from the UK came out to see her family and asked if I would like to join her. She has two little girls as well who I adore so it was great to spend time with them too. Her family lives up in the north in a place called Tucuman. Its a funny mix of feeling very dry and desert-y in some places and others its mountains and lakes and very green. I stayed for about 5 days over Christmas and Lola's parents opened their home to me.
I took the bus there which takes about 15 hours. This is overnight so you get to sleep lots but it is really easy. Its amazing how quickly something like that feels normal and just an easy trip. To be fair the buses are amazing- like first class in a plane. You get seats which go back almost flat, blankets, hot food. On the way home I was even offered wine with dinner and a nightcap! For me I love these trips. I love seeing the country and feeling the distance and size of it all. I have spoken to many people about this. I think it only really has the impact when coming from the UK. Europeans dont even feel the scale as even though they leave their country after a few hours they still have the ability to keep driving. I never knew how much living on a small Island like the UK could make an impact like this on just how you think about boarders, distances and freedom.
The main highlights of the trip were Christmas eve and the big party, going up to the mountains on Christmas day and going out to the valleys and mountains a couple of days later.
Most Argentines celebrate Christmas on the night of the 24th. They all get together with family, have food, fireworks and then at midnight papa Noel arrives. Lola's family is huge. We went to her brothers house and I think there were about 40 people there just having dinner. It was amazing but true to Argentine style they were open and welcoming to me so I felt part of the family.
One of the funniest and also most frightening part was that there were big fireworks set out for 12 o clock but between 9 and 12 there was a giant box of smaller fireworks just left out for the kids. The age range went from about 5-17 and it was total mayhem. Kids were setting them off left right and centre, throwing them, returning to them, holding them in their hands while shooting them all off all the while the parents are inside. I love that children have to much freedom here but it was kind of scary especially with one pyromaniac 5 year old girl. At midnight there was a fantastic firework show which was quickly followed by Papa Noel. Everyone gets their presents at 12. People usually get a couple of presents (children get a few more but not the piles as in the UK) However its total craziness. Everyone is ripping open gifts at the same time and when it comes to 40 overexcited people even the adults get worked up!
On Christmas day Lola, Imi (her husband) the two children and I drove up the mountain. It is the pre-Andes and is spectacular. You can see the whole of Tucuman but also its so flat everywhere else until you get to this one mountain. It was so nice to get out of the city, especially coming from BA. I love BA so much but I have definitely found that I need to get out and about every so often, just to get some fresh air!
The last trip was out to the Valleys where Lola's family have weekend houses. It is truly stunning there. I really miss the green of the UK and this valley surrounding a lake and with mountains all around was a good attempts at a replacement. It almost had a feeling of Switzerland with little chalets dotted around and cows (and Llamas) in fields. We went as a big family and had lunch (where Aleena the youngest daughter sucked spagetti like a little bird- much laughter) and then went to a cheese making farm.
It was such a lovely time and although Christmas is super hard to be away from family and friends I definitely felt that I was with people who cared and I loved spending time with and it was a fab experience. To be welcomed into a family at such a special time of the year means a lot and I am very lucky.
I took the bus there which takes about 15 hours. This is overnight so you get to sleep lots but it is really easy. Its amazing how quickly something like that feels normal and just an easy trip. To be fair the buses are amazing- like first class in a plane. You get seats which go back almost flat, blankets, hot food. On the way home I was even offered wine with dinner and a nightcap! For me I love these trips. I love seeing the country and feeling the distance and size of it all. I have spoken to many people about this. I think it only really has the impact when coming from the UK. Europeans dont even feel the scale as even though they leave their country after a few hours they still have the ability to keep driving. I never knew how much living on a small Island like the UK could make an impact like this on just how you think about boarders, distances and freedom.
The main highlights of the trip were Christmas eve and the big party, going up to the mountains on Christmas day and going out to the valleys and mountains a couple of days later.
Most Argentines celebrate Christmas on the night of the 24th. They all get together with family, have food, fireworks and then at midnight papa Noel arrives. Lola's family is huge. We went to her brothers house and I think there were about 40 people there just having dinner. It was amazing but true to Argentine style they were open and welcoming to me so I felt part of the family.
One of the funniest and also most frightening part was that there were big fireworks set out for 12 o clock but between 9 and 12 there was a giant box of smaller fireworks just left out for the kids. The age range went from about 5-17 and it was total mayhem. Kids were setting them off left right and centre, throwing them, returning to them, holding them in their hands while shooting them all off all the while the parents are inside. I love that children have to much freedom here but it was kind of scary especially with one pyromaniac 5 year old girl. At midnight there was a fantastic firework show which was quickly followed by Papa Noel. Everyone gets their presents at 12. People usually get a couple of presents (children get a few more but not the piles as in the UK) However its total craziness. Everyone is ripping open gifts at the same time and when it comes to 40 overexcited people even the adults get worked up!
On Christmas day Lola, Imi (her husband) the two children and I drove up the mountain. It is the pre-Andes and is spectacular. You can see the whole of Tucuman but also its so flat everywhere else until you get to this one mountain. It was so nice to get out of the city, especially coming from BA. I love BA so much but I have definitely found that I need to get out and about every so often, just to get some fresh air!
The last trip was out to the Valleys where Lola's family have weekend houses. It is truly stunning there. I really miss the green of the UK and this valley surrounding a lake and with mountains all around was a good attempts at a replacement. It almost had a feeling of Switzerland with little chalets dotted around and cows (and Llamas) in fields. We went as a big family and had lunch (where Aleena the youngest daughter sucked spagetti like a little bird- much laughter) and then went to a cheese making farm.
It was such a lovely time and although Christmas is super hard to be away from family and friends I definitely felt that I was with people who cared and I loved spending time with and it was a fab experience. To be welcomed into a family at such a special time of the year means a lot and I am very lucky.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)